Walking past 1100 Leland today we noticed that new trees have been planted in addition to the small flower gardens added to the south side of the building. We also noticed new copper lighting added to the terra cotta facade of the building (click picture above for more detail). It appears that there were originally lights in these spots when the building was first constructed, so its a welcome sight to see them again.
That is a nice picture....up close the black plastic edging, random plantings, and light fixtures look tacky. Shouldn't the ground floor of this building have been required to remain retail, as part of a dense commercial district that's slowly marching it's way down Broadway?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it wasn't torn down as feared, because the terra cotta is fabulous on this one. But it sure is a half-assed, cheaply done restoration. The east side wall was torn down and rebuilt, and the terra cotta that was thrown away could have been used for repairs on the remaining side--including replacing missing urns. The trees are nice, but the little gardens are going to look pretty crappy unless someone actively maintains them. They should have invested the $4,000 to buyer at close and plasma screen TV money into better fixtures and windows.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I hear all that. And a look at the website of the developer, it is obvious they aren't the top of the industry. And I'm told that there's nothing all that special with the spaces, themselves.
ReplyDeleteBut I can't complain too much. Sure, the restoration could have been done better. And I'd love more retail and think that's a spot that should have obviously had been reserved for it. But I'll take a residential building of good neighbors over a full terra cotta restoration and empty store fronts in a heartbeat.